For The Love of Lions with Dr. Pieter Kat

June 29, 2015

Hosted by Eli Weiss

Guest Information

Episode Description

In a world inundated with captive bred African lions, why are we losing wild lions in Africa? With successful foreign bans against import of lion trophy and products, airline embargos, and bans of lions in circuses and performing entities - combined with the global push for USFW to list African Lions as endangered under the ESA, will we turn the tide for lions? Or will the illegal trade and pressure from moneyed private interests in S. Africa, the NRA, SCI and DSC to obfuscate collective data on real wild lion numbers and their decline? The African Lion's genetic diversity is collapsing; isolated populations reaching the tipping point toward extinction. The immensity of this catastrophe is simply unacceptable. To fail to use all the science, data and tools that we have at our fingertips to work out a global plan to protect African lions in Africa, would deal a disastrous blow in a long list of failures to keep natural populations of large predators alive in a human-centric world.

Our Wild World

Monday at 8 AM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel

An informative and lively opportunity for listeners of all ages to learn about and raise awareness of contemporary challenges in wildlife and environmental conservation, both in Africa and parallels in the U.S., while also providing direct avenues to a variety of projects to personally take action and get involved.

While our project focus covers sub-Saharan Africa, the results of what we accomplish have global impacts, and further, how we choose to live daily will have impacts upon the future of Africa, our world’s wildlife and people. Our topics will cover a variety of themes including current news, what you can do now, what conservation and sustainability actually mean, how poverty impacts sustainablilty, foreign aid, book reviews, animal behavior, photography, living with wildlife in your back yard, interviews with renowned experts, and your questions and answers. Our Wild World is broadcast live every Monday at 8 AM Pacific Time on the VoiceAmerica Variety Channel.

Eli Weiss

A photographer, philanthropist and Wildlife Conservationist, Eli Weiss grew up in Illinois, Wyoming and Colorado, attended university in Colorado and the UK, and after spending time in Aspen from 1963-1979 she settled in Woody Creek, where, in 2000 she founded the non-profit WildiZe Foundation. In Founding Wildize, Weiss was able to combine her love of photography, art, nature, environmental ethics and conservation in such a way as to benefit our planet. The Foundation serves individuals and educational institutions dedicated to the conservation of wildlife, wildlife habitats and the indigenous cultures of Africa and raises awareness through on-the-ground projects and education both in Africa and the United States. Their mission is to establish direct relationships to projects in sub-Saharan Africa, offering targeted grant funding that support conservation efforts, educational programs and sustainable indigenous economies. Several times per year, Weiss visits the Foundation's grantees across sub-Saharan Africa, developing ongoing programs and building new, long-term relationships. Weiss has worked with experts and leaders in the field of conservation, administering over 2.5 million dollars of public and private grant funding across 75 grantees from specialists to community groups, giving her a well-rounded depth of knowledge critical to raising awareness of the various issues and toward implementing solid solutions based on science, the environment and culture.